Events which have been in previous newsletters are now available on our website in Events or old newsletters can be looked at on http://envirocentre.wordjot.com

Please feel free to send feedback on the newsletter system.

You may have noticed, probably not, that emails are not generally included in our newsletters now that we are using an online system, so that people are not inundated with spam - email addresses will be put into words or just a website mentioned instead.

Hamilton Press page for community groups

Please put pen to paper and send Katherine at the Environment Centre a contribution for our page in the Hamilton Press coming up in early April. This is great publicity for your group so even your group's aims, contact details and meeting times and a little about what you do is better than missing out. A photo or two of hardworking volunteers is also good. Remember to include appreciation of your main funding agencies where applicable as well.

COCE202Effective
Governance for Community Organisations Participants of this module will be able to identify and demonstrate knowledge
of Governance structures, roles & responsibilities, legal requirements and
strategic planning for community groups/organisations.They will also demonstrate knowledge of
effective leadership, presentations and decision making skills. 4 x Thursday Evenings6-9pm.
March 27th, April 3rd, 10th & 17th. Wintec city Campus D Block Room D2.09

COCE203Sponsorship
& Promotion for Community Organisations Participants of this module will be able to identify sources of potential
sponsors and promotion opportunities, develop planning strategies, the
‘approach’, be able to negotiate terms/conditions and measure the effectiveness
of a sponsorship or promotion opportunity. This
module will be offered in Term 2 - May/June

COCE204Working
with the Media for Community Organisations Participants of this module will be able to identify and demonstrate knowledge
on how best to tap into the media, develop a communication plan, write a press
release and identify key areas where they can gain value from contact with the
media for their Community Organisation.This
module will be offered in Term 2 - May/Junetba

Come along, at 7:00pm, to the Trade Union
Centre, 34 Harwood St, Hamilton.All movies will be followed with an open
floor discussion.Running time: 55 min

Zapatista is the definitive look at the uprising in
Chiapas. It it the story of a Mayan peasant rebellion. It is a story of a global
movement that has fought 175,000 federal troops to a standstill and transformed
Mexican and international political culture forever.

17th and 24th April Gully Restoration Training Days

Organised by Hamilton City Council, CBER and Centre for Continuing Education (University of Waikato)

Exciting opportunity for nursery staff, landscape designers, landscaping contractors, arborists and trades people working in and around Hamilton's gullies.

17th Introductory lecture 7 - 9pm - Gully ecosystems and restoration

24th Training Day - especially for landscape designers, landscaping, construction and spraying contractors and nursery staff. Cost $150, includes bus transport, refreshments, handouts and lunch. or $100 for those not attending the last lecture.

To register or for more information contact Centre for Continuing Education 858 5209

Please send this out to members of groups and make sure you reply to Bala or Lyn as below at EW not the Environment Centre

Environment Waikato is planning to organise a“Landcare Networking Field Day”, in conjunction with the Mangawara Landcare Group, at the Hoe O Tainui Hall Community Centre and near the Mangawara River onWednesday, 9 April 2008starting at 9.30 am.

You are invited to attend the field day.

The primary objective of this
field day is to enable representatives from each landcare group and
other community groups to get together and discuss current issues
affecting their areas and to develop an understanding of each group’s
programmes and strategies.

The format envisaged is one of open discussion. A tentative programme is presented here:

9.30 am Cup of Tea/Coffee

10.00 am “Get-together”at the Hoe O Tainui Hall

Bruce / Chris Lane, Chairperson, Mangawara Landcare Group

10.10 am Programme presentation and Community involvement

Facilitated by Bala Tikkisetty, Environment Waikato

10.20 am Landcare concept – how will it benefit all of us?

Alan Campbell, EW

10.30 am Clean streams – what you need to know?

Therese Balvert, EW

10.40 am River management is not a rocket science

Phillip Ecclestone, EW / Mike Duffy, EW

11.00 am Networking session and interaction between the groups

12.00 noon Lunch – networking continues

1.00 pm See the real progress – Mangawara River

Field visit led by EW staff, Mangawara Landcare members and other community members

3.00 pm Discussions and Vote of thanks –

Environment Waikato and the Mangawara Landcare Group

The purpose of the field day is
to develop communication between landcare and other community groups in
Waikato, share ideas, and offer support between the groups and other
organisations.

Please give this invitation wide circulation and encourage as many community groups as possible to attend this field day.

Please RSVP by 4 April 2008 to the undersigned or Lyn Clement (lyn.clement@ew.govt.nz).

Wednesday 27th February
- tomorrowGo by Bike Breakfast in Garden Place, 7.30am.Sport
Waikato are now coordinating this great event so jump on your bike tomorrow,
helmet on your head and cruise into Civic Plaza for a fun early morning before
work.Biodiegradable
Potato plates provided by ….drum roll….the Environment Centre, to then be fed
to the worms.

MARCH

Sunday 2 March Go With the Flow - 10:00am to 3:30pmADMISSION IS FREE

“Go with
the Flow” is the Museum day to celebrate Children’s Day and the exciting
interactive exhibition: “The Mighty River Waikato: from Hinaki to Hydropower”. Visit the
exhibition for FREE and enjoy our fun activities for the whole family:take part in hands-on experiments with the
Mad Scientist, learn about the river and creatures that live in it from our
bio-river expert Hydro Girl, fish for chocolate fish, make a magic fish, add to
our chalk pavement river mural and make some cool art.There will be some great prizes and
giveaways, a sausage sizzle and much more!For the
full programme check out http://www.waikatomuseum.co.nz/page/pageid/2145832910/Events#Flow

Wednesday 5th March

Waikato Botanical Society - Wetland Restoration of Sporodanthus
(native cane rush) with Bev
Clarkson and Monica Peters - Evening
talk, planting and barbequeIn recent
years, considerable work has been carried out by Landcare Research into
restoring peat bogs co-dominated by Sporadanthus ferrugineus (a very local
endemic) and Empodisma minus. Find out about this important research and new
trials begun in 2006 to re-create areas of Sporadanthus ferrugineus and
Empodisma minus in former farmland so that the peat building process can be
reinstated. The results from research to date is very promising and show that
this plant has potential to be used for further restoration projects within its
former range in Waikato.Afterwards
we will go down to the threatened plant garden in the biology glasshouses
compound to plant some Sporadanthus ferrugineus and all are welcome to enjoy a
FREE barbeque!Time: 6pm talk, 7-8pm planting and BBQVenue:
University of Waikato, Room S 1.01, S Block, Gate 8 Hillcrest Rd. Followed by
planting and BBQ at glasshouses compound.Contact:
Liz Grove ph 846 0965

Sunday 9thMarchRiverside Family Walk
and Cycle10am at Memorial Park.Family Riverside Walk & Bike Ride on Sunday 9th March from 9.30am at Memorial Park. Join other families for a pleasant walk or cycle on the beautiful WaikatoRiver pathway, before
returning for a picnic (bring your own)Event Organised by: Hamilton City Council. Contact
is Philip King (07 838 6991).

March 2nd - 9thSeaweek 2008 Saturday 8th MarchRaglanSea Festival/Dolphin Day and Recycled Raft Race at the Kopua Domain. It will be a fun, family day with lots of activities happening including raft
making, art fool, face painting, raft racing, paddle boating and picnicking! If
you are interested in being involved on the day as a volunteer or you know of
any entertainers we still have a few spots left so don’t be shy to give the
Whaingaroa Environment Centre a call - Phone: 00 64 (0)7825 0480Web site: www.whaingaroa.org.nz

Thursday March 13Forest and Bird – Phil Brown, Wild Life
PhotographerPhil Brown is talking on why some of our
wild life is so endangereda dn how they are so uniqute to NZ. The important
role that the Maungatautari Island Ecological Trust will have to play in preserving
our wildlife. Phil is a well known photographer Hamilton Gardens, 7pm

Saturday March 15Forest and Bird - Working Bee Walter Scott
ReserveTrack Maintenance, and putting up track
markers etcMeet at 9am at the Reserve. For directions and more information
please contact the trip leaders, Anne and Dave Lee 07 843 6880

Thursday March 27Volunteering Waikato - BUILDING AN EFFECTIVE VOLUNTEER PROGRAMME

2008
WORKSHOP – MARTIN J COWLING9.30am – 4pmVolunteering Waikato is proud to bring you a one day
workshop facilitated by renowned international speaker, Martin J Cowling.This
interactive workshop is a must for those who are working with volunteers, and
will consider the key components for volunteer programmes.Utilising research and current practice,
Martin J Cowling will outline practical steps in building an effective volunteer
program.The session
will initially focus on what motivates and demotivates 2nd Century volunteers.
The day will then use this information to consider how to best manage the
volunteer life cycle from recruitment on.Please see
the attached flyer for more information and registration form – numbers are
strictly limited.For all
enquiries, contact Volunteering Waikato on 07 839 3191

Sustainable Living coursesStarting in the Second Term, coordinated
by the Environment Centre, in conjunction with Adult Community Education at
Wintec, If you are interested in coming along to a 8 part series aimed at looking at
all aspects of sustainable living - energy, water, travel, building, gardening,
shopping, please contact Katherine 839 4452 Sessions will be 2 hours, held 7 – 9 in
the evenings and will be look at practical solutions and activities, with input
from experts in the different areas. $5 per session.

Got an
idea to make Hamilton more sustainable?Need
financial support for a community focused project?The
Hamilton City Council Envirofund could provide the financial support your
project needs.What
types of projects are funded?

Local environmental restoration projects;

Environmental seminars and workshops;

Environmental research that could provide direct benefits to Hamilton's environment;

Educational or promotional activities that raise awareness about
environmental issues;

Practical environmental initiatives that involve community participation
or increase community involvement.

Applications
for the next Envirofund round close 31st March, 4pm.Apply
Now! Applications are easy. Application
forms and guidelines are available on-line at:

Hi there, this was first sent out a fortnight ago but some emails may have been blocked, so apologies if you did not receive it then.

The next Hamilton Green Drinks is being hosted by the NZAEE committee (NZ Assn for Environmental Education) and will be held at the Environment Centre on March 7th, from 5.30pm or afterwork.

As usual, bring your own drinks, nibbles will be provided courtesy of Waikato Branch of NZAEE, so come along and enjoy a relaxing after-work interlude in the EC, and this is an opportunity to learn a bit about this organisation if you are not familiar with it.

It is helpful if you reply to help with numbers for food - hope to see you there.

This message has come from Rainbow Valley Farm, the home of Joe Palaischer, for me one of the most inspiring sustainability proponents in New Zealand. Many of us have visited RVF, attended a course or heard Joe talking down here and are always impressed with his down to earth good sense, and we remain in awe of what he and Trish achieved on their incredible permaculture property. Our sympathy to Trish and family.

Dear friends

We're sorry to have to let you know that Joe
Polaischer died this morning, 14/02/08, at Rainbow Valley farm. He was
with Trish and he went very peacefully around 3.30am.

Joe's funeral will be on SATURDAY 16TH FEB at 2.00pm, at the Matakana Pony Club on Matakana Valley Rd, Matakana. There will be a gathering after the burial at the Matakana Hall. Please bring a plate and a bottle.

As this is very short notice, the family would appreciate your
help in passing this information on to anyone you think may like to be
there. We would love to see as many of you as possible there; we know
there are many who would like to join us in celebration of an
extraordinary life.

We realise that there will be people from all around the world who
would like to attend but won't be able to make it. If you wish to
respond with messages please use this address: friends.of.rvf@gmail.com

If you would like to send a message to be read out at or displayed
at the funeral or after-gathering we ask that you keep it short - one
sentence or no more than a text message in length. For these please
put "Please Convey this Message" in the subject line as
this will make it much easier to sort out the many messages we
anticipate in the short time until then. We will do our best to share
these messages where possible.

Welcome to the first newsletter using Wordjot - a new blog system - you are all subscribed to the newsletter as before - but you will be able to unsubscribe at your whim, and others will be able to subscribe if they so wish. You will also be able to post comments back to me. We will develop other categories as time goes on that you can choose to subscribe to but at present I am keeping it simple. Hope you find the new format an improvement on the old. Any problems let me know - I have a direct line to the developer of the system.

World Environment Day June 5thNZ is hosting World
Environment Day. There is funding available from the Ministry for groups
wanting to an activity. (see details in Funding below)

Green Events Calendar – the Environment Centre is putting together a
green events calendar which will be available online very shortly. If you are
running a workshop, or doing anything else that we do not know about please let
us know. You will also be able to put a link to the calendar on your website.

New Climate Change website offering all points of view - http://climatedebatedaily.com/(Put up and edited by
the same person who edits Arts and letters daily – Denis Dutton from CanterburyUniversity, and Douglas Campbell who sounds quite
intelligent too)

“One Waikato, Seven Wonders' Environment
Waikato is about to launch a campaign called that asks the public to name their
favourite natural wonders in our region.They hope by encouraging
people to celebrate the special places we have in the Waikato, they might also
provide inspiration to protect our wonders for the future, for example, by
becoming involved with some of our care groups.Sporting stars Colin
Meads and Sarah Ulmer are backing the campaign, along with Prime Minister Helen
Clark who has praised the regional council initiative as “a great way to
highlight the beauty and importance of the region's natural resources, and the
need to protect them for future generations”.Nominations can be made
on the Environment Waikato website, www.ew.govt.nz from Saturday 9 February, or
by using the nomination form in the council's magazine, Envirocare.Beyond encouraging
people to personally engage with their surroundings, the nomination process
will help identify significant landscapes for possible inclusion in the
Regional Policy Statement, currently under review.

EVENTS:

FEBRUARYTuesday 12th February

Sustainable Urban Design
group meetingThe first
Green Building Network meeting for 2008 has been organised at Connell Wagner
Limited Buildings - 19 Kaimiro, Pukete7pm. If you plan to attend please RSVP by Monday 5pm to Elizabeth Dobbs
[DobbsE@conwag.com].Amanda
Rogers (Building Scientist) will discuss
GreenStar ratings and relate it to the residential sector alsoOpen to
anyone who's interested.The Sustainable
Urban Design group has meetings regularly at a different venue each time to
look at all aspects of ecobuilding. There will also be more workshops coming up
later in the year.If anyone wants to join the Sustainable Urban
Design Group, please register your interest with Aaron FlemingEnvironmental
Policy Advisor at Hamilton City CouncilDDI: (07)
838 6483, Fax: (07) 838 6464E: aaron.fleming at hcc.govt.nzwww.hamilton.co.nz

Wednesday 13 FebruarySport Waikato and Heart Foundation are running an event on Wednesday
13 February 2008 to support the Heart encouraging you to come down to the lake
and participate in any of the following FREE activities:Sarah
Prowse Hamilton
Active Living Coordinator, sportwaikato I p 07 838 2657 I f 07 838 2655 I m 027
274 6682

Saturday 23 FebruaryGood life Expo – same day as Right Bank Arts Festival at the
Hamilton Gardens, Get in now and book your stall, going fast, phone Cheryl 834 2249. The earthoven will be auctioned on site and delivered to some lucky person. Come
and see the alpacas again, plus lots of other interesting environmental stalls,
good food and coffee available. Here is
the programme:THE ART OF THE GOOD LIFE EXPO - SPEAKERS PROGRAM

Main site:Green Egg Lawn10to10:30FAIR
TRADETrade aid- We can help the world with ethical
shopping10:30 to 11:30TRANSITION
TOWNSJames Samuel11:45 to12:15THINKING
THE UNTHINKABLENandor
Tanczos12:30 to1EARTH BUILDINGPaul Peterson2pm.AUCTION
OF THE PORTABLE EARTH OVEN2:30to4TRANSITION
TOWNS WORKSHOPJames
SamuelTHE
SUSTAINABLE BACKYARD

Saturday 23rd FebruaryBotanical Society trip - Matarangi
Coastal WetlandWe hope
to explore a large freshwater wetland at Matarangi on the northern shores of WhangapouaHarbour, CoromandelPeninsula. Details to be confirmed.Meet: 10am at the intersection of Matarangi
drive and Waimaire Ave (in Matarangi itself)....follow
Matarangi road in from SH25 and veer left once you get to the settlement.Waimaire Ave is about 800m along on the right,
the wetland is just opposite.Contact:
Catherine Beard Catherine.Beard@ew.govt.nz or ph 855 5479 (hm)

Wednesday 27th FebruaryBike to Work Breakfast in Garden Place, 7am – 8.30am Bike into CivicPlaza for a free nutritious breakfast,
the chance to participate in bike challenges and win spot prizes. No
registration necessary.

18 February to 2 March
2008Bikewise BattleNew Zealand organisations (and
departments) are competing against each other to see who can get the highest
percentage of staff to ride a bike. So get your organsation to compete! Enter at
- http://www.bikewise.co.nz/Site/bikewisebattle/default.aspxSo be
healthier, happier workplaces - and win one of the great prizes that are up for
grabs within the five organisation-size categories.Participants
can ride wherever they feel comfortable for a minimum of 2km or 10 minutes. All
it takes is to ride just once during competition, then log it here on the
website. Have a go! Hop on a bike!

MARCH

Sunday 9thMarchRiverside walk and ride Round
- starting from Memorial Park. Helpers wanted - We are needing more cyclists who will be able to accompany groups
on the bike ride – the rides are not at all arduous! If anyone is able to help,
please contact Philip King at HCC 838 6991 if you can help with the cycling. Judy MacDonald and Living Streets would like some help with the walkers as
well, and handing out leaflets. contact her on 07 855 2019.

Sunday 2nd MarchWaikatoMuseumRiver Day 10am to 3.30pmWe are
pitching the programme at families with children as they are our target
audience. To help us plan and promote the programme for the day it would be
great to get from you the following information:1. A
written description of what your organisation will be doing on the day in a
paragraph.2.
Details of any special set-up requirements for the day.The
Museum is committed to managing and marketing this event. We are aware that
your time is valuable and we are willing to support you to ensure that the day
is a successful occasion for all concerned.Please contact Robyn Johnston if you are interested in having a stall or
display:Business Activity Manager, WaikatoMuseum, Hamilton City Council1 Grantham Street Private Bag 3010, DDI 07 838 6553Fax 07 838 6571Mobile 021 471 930 www.waikatomuseum.co.nz

March 2nd - 9thSeaweek 2008If your group is interested in doing something please
contact Sam at EW (details below)The aims of Seaweek include raising
awareness of the coast and ocean and encouraging all New Zealanders to help
look after their local marine areas. Seaweek has become a time when New
Zealanders not only celebrate the sea, but also get involved in activities that
promote the health of our ocean. Seaweek is a national event coordinated by the
New Zealand Association for Environmental Education (NZAEE) and Sir Peter Blake
Trust.The national Seaweek website can be found
at : http://www.seaweek.org.nz/Sam Stephens Coastal Community FacilitatorEnvironment WaikatoDDI: (07) 859 0542Mobile: 021 792 561Email:
Sam.Stephens at ew.govt.nzwww.ew.govt.nz

Envirofund 2008Got an
idea to make Hamilton more sustainable?Need
financial support for a community focused project?The
Hamilton City Council Envirofund could provide the financial support your
project needs.What
types of projects are funded?·Local environmental restoration projects;·Environmental seminars and workshops;· Environmental research that could provide
direct benefits to Hamilton's environment;·Educational or promotional activities that raise awareness about
environmental issues;·Practical environmental initiatives that involve community participation
or increase community involvement.Applications
for the next Envirofund round close 31st March, 4pm. Apply Now! Applications
are easy.Application
forms and guidelines are available on-line at: http://hamilton.co.nz/EnvirofundFor further
information contact: Sustainable Environment Team Hamilton City CouncilPhone 958 5885

World Environment Day Funding
availableNew Zealand is hosting World Environment Day
2008 in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on
June 5. The Ministry for the Environment is the lead government agency
coordinating the event alongside UNEP.

World
Environment Day is an opportunity to raise awareness and promote action on
national environment issues. New Zealand businesses and communities can
tie-in their own environmental and sustainable activities and messages to the
event and take advantage of WED’s status and media focus.World
Environment Day is a national event in which all New Zealanders can participate
through organising a wide range of community/regional events and activities.There is
community funding available to financially assist
organisations/groups/schools/early childhood centres who wish to undertake an
event or activity during the week of World Environment Day. These events and
activities need to take place during the week of 2–8 June 2008.For more information about the applying for
funding you can visit http://www.mfe.govt.nz/withyou/wed/index.html and
download an application form and the 'Guide for Applicants'. Alternatively, if
you wish to receive hardcopies of this information you can email the
WED@mfe.govt.nz and ask for this information to be mailed to you.Further
resource packs are currently being developed and will be available from our
website in the near future.Amanda
Turner | Adviser, Projects and Partnerships

Situations VacantEnvironmental Policy Advisor Are you excited about our city’s future? Hamilton needs you to help us make it
sustainable. You will be working as part of an enthusiastic team to
improve the environmental sustainability of Hamilton and Council. The job
is varied, including work on strategy and policy development, greening of
events and organisational sustainability. Ideally you will have sound understanding of local environmental issues
and a flair for communication and empowering others. You will need
experience in facilitating processes and bringing groups together, and a tertiary qualification in resource or environmental management or
environmental engineering.Join our team and empower others to achieve great results for our city.Applications close: 17 February 2008 For more information go to http://careers.hamilton.co.nz/jobcentre/search.asp

Where – Old Railway Yards, corner of Empire & High Streets Frankton.
Recycle your used unwanted computers and mobile phones for free! All brands of computer and mobile phone equipment welcome.
There's now an environmentally friendly alternative to disposing of this electronic waste. An electronic waste collection day providing a convenient collection point for consumers (households, schools, small businesses and community organisations) to dispose of old computers and computer peripherals (printers, scanners) and all old cell phones. The electronic material will either be reused through Computer Access NZ (CANZ) or those computers that have reached the end of their life will be recycled for their metal, plastics and heavy metals such as mercury and lead.
It’s a simple, free and effective way to dispose of your computer and old mobile phone electronic waste in an environmentally sustainable way. All items will either be reused or recycled.
Who can drop off? households, schools, small businesses and community organisations.What can I bring? computer hardware • monitors • networking equipment • scanners • keyboards • mice • computer speakers • laptops • printers • toner and ink jet cartridges • games consoles • mobile phones
What won’t be accepted - televisions • stereos • appliances • furniture
If you are unable to take your ewaste over to Frankton on that day, you are welcome to phone Katherine at the Environment Centre, 839 4452 to arrange dropping it off at my place, and I will take a trailer load if necessary.